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"weighed". Indeed the Hebrew word shekel is from shakal = "to weigh", which in
Chaldee becomes tekel, the word written on the wall of Belshazzar's palace.
In each of the epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians we find the
exhortation to worthiness:--
"Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye were called" (Eph. 4: 1).
"Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel" (Phil. 1: 27).
"Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing" (Col. 1: 10).
In one scale is placed the glorious calling of the dispensation of the mystery with its
spiritual blessings and heavenly places, and in the other the walk that is in love. What a
marvelously balanced walk there is here, and who, apart from grace, could dream of
attaining it?
Then in Philippians we learn that our "conversation" is in heaven (3: 20): so we are
exhorted to "let our conversation be worthy of the gospel". Conversation includes the
idea of citizenship (politeuma), and we are to make a balance between the heavenly
citizenship that awaits us, and the reflection of it upon life and walk down here,
borrowing from the life of Abraham a lesson--for he let his moderation be known to all
men, living in a tent, a pilgrim and a stranger in the land of promise, looking for a city
which had foundations, whose Maker and Builder was God.
These two passages are wonderful enough, but what shall we say of the theme of the
prayer of Col. 1:? If it be all that renewed life and grace can do to walk worthy of calling
and gospel, how are we to walk worthy of the Lord in regard to both calling and gospel?
Can we dare to contemplate placing all His glorious excellencies in the scales? Can any
saved sinner hope to effect a balance there? In ourselves it is impossible, but in the
"walk" side of the scales are placed such weighty facts as these:--
"He hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light"
(Col. 1: 12).
"In the body of His flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and
unreproveable in His sight" (Col. 1: 22).
"Ye are complete in Him" (Col. 2: 10).
"Christ is our life" (Col. 3: 4).
"Christ is all and in all" (Col. 3: 11).
True wisdom and spiritual understanding see that Christ and His excellencies are
placed on both sides. Nothing but Christ in the believer and for the saint can be "worthy
of the Lord", or be "unto all pleasing". Like the O.T. conception of consecration we must
"fill the hand" from the altar itself before we can offer anything back to the Lord
(Exod. 29: 9, 10 and 24. See verse 9, margin). And in the language of David we must
continually say, "Of Thine own have we given Thee".
If our walks is to be unto "all pleasing", it is evident that it cannot be so if it is in the
flesh, for it is written: "They that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8: 8). If
the flesh is excluded, faith must be as surely included, for it is written: "Without faith it